The underside of the alleged iPhone 5 chassis shows some significant differences. Along with the addition of a headphone connector (moved from the top) and a larger speaker grill, there's also a significantly smaller dock connector hole.

By retaining the same width, the thumb is still free to be able to travel across the entirity of the screen. A wider screen -- as found on a number of Android handsets -- are more difficult to use single-handed.

In March, a report by The Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab claimed that almost 90 percent of smartphone ownerswant a smartphone with screen in the 4.0-inch to 4.5-inch range, as long as the device is thin.

Smartphones sporting 4.5-inch displays are pretty large beasts. Take the LG Optimus 4G LTE, for example. This handset measures 133.9 x 67.9 x 10.5 mm, which doesn’t sound much until you put it up against the iPhone 4S, which measures in at 115.2 x 68.6 x 9.3 mm. That might not sound like a big difference, but in your hand it is.

On the iPhone my thumb comfortably travels across the screen, but with a larger handset I can’t do this, which turns using the handset into a two-handed job. This is not always an issue, but for tapping out a quick text message or email, having to wield a big smartphone is a disadvantage rather than an advantage.

The new SIM card tray is much smaller than the current tray, suggesting that Apple has worked hard to save space inside the iPhone 5, going as far as shrinking something as seemingly unimportant as the SIM card tray.

It has been rumored that Apple will to move to a solution called in-cell technology with the iPhone 5 where both the screen and touch sensor layers combined into a single layer, as opposed to the current setup where these are two layers.The new in-cell panels are expected to be both cheaper to produce and thinner than the current panels.

To the eye, the new lens appears to have better light transmission than the existing lens.

The quality of the leaked lens leads some to believe that it is a genuine part. I've seen a lot of low-quality, third-party lenses for iPhones, and usually they are slightly thicker, have poorer light transmission and are weaker and scratch and break easier.

Repair site iResQ posted photos of an assembled iPhone 5 next to an iPhone 4S which showed just how much Apple seems to have managed to shave off the thickness of the new iPhone. The difference is essentially the same as removing the glass backplate from the iPhone 4S.

There have also been a number of rumors pointing to the fact that the iPhone 5 will feature a new, smaller SIM card called the nano SIM or 4FF. The new SIM card tray seems to confirm that the SIM card format has been changed.

Rumor had it that the iPhone 5 would be kitted out with NFC technology, and that the metal square in the image above was that chip. However, on closer inspection is turns out that this was the earpiece speaker.

It has been long rumored that Apple was getting ready to abandon the 30-pin dock connector that has adorned every iPhone and iPad every made with something a bit more svelte and compact. A video posted by repair firm SmartPhone Medic gives us a first look at the new connector.

iPhone 5: Rumor roundup

There are no shortage of iPhone 5 related rumors making the rounds. But talk is cheap, so I tend to put more stock in rumors that are associated with hardware. Here I sift through the current hardware leaks and take a look at what the alleged hardware parts might tell us about Apple's forthcoming iPhone.

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Earlier this month, ETradeSupply came across what they claim is the front lens for the iPhone 5. This is the glass plate -- presumably made of Corning Gorilla glass -- that covers the LCD assembly.